Aug 8 Is global warming affecting your flight? Short answer: YES

Donald Trump may think global warming is a hoax, and that's as scary and real as him sitting in the oval office. Rather than pointing out some alarming statistics, here’s a link you can look at when you have the time.

Global warming has substantially affected the travel landscape. Lakes are shrinking, ecosystems are impacted and some destinations are losing tourism to crazy hot, record-breaking summers. But a huge impact is in the skies. In this study, it’s suggested climate change can significantly increase flight turbulence (greater probability with transatlantic flights in winter), due to an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations.

For now, passengers are dealing with flights that are canceling because the weather is too hot for the plane to fly. Last month, American Airlines had to cancel more than 40 flights scheduled to leave Phoenix International Airport due to hot temperatures rising to 120F. BBC explains that air has a lower density (meaning it’s thinner) at higher temperatures, which impacts how much lift is generated on an aircraft’s wings. Because flying in extremely hot weather is dangerous, it’s why many high-altitude airports in South America and also the Middle East schedule long flights for the evening or night. (Also, if you're obsessed with astronomy, it's why we can't ever get to Venus (super hot planet). Mars? Ten years, I'm giving).

Of course, flying in general does not help the environment. It leaves a huge carbon footprint, statistically one of Earth’s biggest culprits, so it’s good to know that airlines are making huge strides to reduce their carbon footprint by using biofuels, using new aircraft with minimal emissions and recycling.